Ultrasound-assisted extraction of phytochemicals from green coconut shell: Optimization by integrated artificial neural network and particle swarm technique

Biological Activities of Ethanol Extracts of Hericium erinaceus Obtained as a Result of Optimization Analysis

Mushrooms are one of the indispensable elements of human diets. Edible mushrooms stand out with their aroma and nutritional properties. In this study, some biological activities of the wild edible mushroom Hericium erinaceus were determined. In this context, firstly, the most suitable extraction conditions of the fungus in terms of biological activity were determined. First, 64 different experiments were performed with the Soxhlet device under 40-70 °C extraction temperature, 3-9 h extraction time, and 0.5-2 mg/mL extraction conditions. As a result, a total antioxidant status (TAS) analysis was performed, and the extraction conditions were optimized so that the objective function was the maximum TAS value. The data obtained from the experimental study were modeled with artificial neural networks (ANNs), one of the artificial intelligence methods, and optimized with a genetic algorithm (GA). All subsequent tests were performed using the extract obtained under optimum extraction conditions. The antioxidant capacity of the mushroom was assessed using Rel assay kits and the DPPH and FRAP techniques. The agar dilution method was used to measure the antimicrobial activity. The anti-Alzheimer activity was assessed based on the activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). The antiproliferative activity was assessed against the A549 cancer cell line. The total phenolic content was measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The measurement of total flavonoids was conducted using the aluminum chloride test. LC-MS/MS equipment was used to screen for the presence of standard chemicals. The optimum extraction conditions were found to be a 60.667 °C temperature, 7.833 h, and 1.98 mg/mL. It was determined that the mushroom has high antioxidant potential. It was determined that the substance was successful at combating common bacterial and fungal strains when used at dosages ranging from 25 to 200 µg/mL. The high antiproliferative effect of the substance was attributed to its heightened concentration. The anti-AChE value was found to be 13.85 μg/mL, while the anti-BChE value was confirmed to be 28.00 μg/mL. The phenolic analysis of the mushroom revealed the presence of 13 chemicals. This investigation found that H. erinaceus exhibits robust biological activity when extracted under appropriate circumstances.

Insights into adsorption performance and mechanism of chitosan-bentonite biocomposites for removal of imazethapyr and imazamox

In the present study, chitosan-bentonite biocomposites were synthesised by ultrasonication, characterized using spectral techniques and assessed for their effectiveness in removing imazethapyr and imazamox from aqueous solution. The response surface methodology based box behnken design was utilized to generate optimum conditions viz. pH (1 to 9), adsorbent dose (0.01 to 1.0 g), contact time (0.5 to 48 h) and temperature (15 to 55 °C) for adsorption of herbicides on biocomposites. Based on model predictions, 60.4 to 91.5 % of imazethapyr and 31.7 to 46.4 % of imazamox was efficiently removed under optimal conditions. Adsorption data exhibited a strong fit to pseudo-second-order kinetic (R2 > 0.987) and Freundlich isotherm (R2 > 0.979). The adsorption capacity ranged from 3.88 to 112 μg1-ng-1mLn and order of adsorption was: low molecular weight chitosan-bentonite> medium molecular weight chitosan-bentonite> high molecular weight chitosan-bentonite> bentonite. Thermodynamic experiments suggested a spontaneous, exothermic process, reducing the system randomness during adsorption. Desorption experiments revealed successful desorption ranging from 91.5 to 97.0 % using 0.1 M NaOH. The adsorption mechanism was dominated by synergistic electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding. These results collectively indicated the potential environmental remediation application of chitosan-bentonite biocomposites to adsorb imazethapyr and imazamox from wastewaters.

Research Progress on Extraction and Detection Technologies of Flavonoid Compounds in Foods

Flavonoid compounds have a variety of biological activities and play an essential role in preventing the occurrence of metabolic diseases. However, many structurally similar flavonoids are present in foods and are usually in low concentrations, which increases the difficulty of their isolation and identification. Therefore, developing and optimizing effective extraction and detection methods for extracting flavonoids from food is essential. In this review, we review the structure, classification, and chemical properties of flavonoids. The research progress on the extraction and detection of flavonoids in foods in recent years is comprehensively summarized, as is the application of mathematical models in optimizing experimental conditions. The results provide a theoretical basis and technical support for detecting and analyzing high-purity flavonoids in foods.